Olfactory epithelium electrical stimulation mitigates memory and synaptic deficits caused by mechanical ventilation.

Mechanical ventilation (MV) causes a wide range of cognitive impairments. Unfortunately, to date, we are lacking knowledge about its underlying neural mechanisms and significant treatment options for the condition. Here, we show that MV-induced memory impairment in rats stems from dysfunctions in the olfactory bulb-medial prefrontal cortex-ventral hippocampus network and hippocampal synaptic currents imbalance. More importantly, we introduce a novel treatment approach, namely olfactory epithelium electrical stimulation (OEES) that shows promising preclinical results in mitigating the mentioned behavioral and neural disorders caused by MV. These results pave the way for research on non-invasive brain stimulation approaches and introduce the olfactory system as a potential target for treating cognitive or psychiatric disorders induced by MV.